I am a strong believer that certain people enter your life at certain times for specific reasons. In this case, I believe we were truly meant to meet our wedding photographer Rachel Barkman.

Picking a wedding photographer was one of our first tasks after we got engaged. We knew the great ones get booked up pretty quickly, and we really wanted to find someone who was used to shooting in an outdoor setting as we are getting married at a camp. My mom had been following Rachel on instagram for quite some time. When we were discussing wedding photographers with her, she lept up and said "Oh, you must contact Rachel!". At this point I didn't know who she was, but after a quick scan through her instagram feed I was sold. I quickly messaged her and inquired about our September 2016 wedding dates. At the time she was almost fully booked up, but she agreed to meet up with us for coffee.

When we finally met Rachel, we knew instantly we were kindred spirits. We share stoke for lots of the same things, a big one being our unconditional love for the great outdoors. She has a bright infectious personality, and is incredibly talented. She won our hearts when she suggested we do a hike engagement shoot. YES PLEASE! How could we say no to that? She is super adventurous and takes the time to connect on a deeper level with her client. We were instant friends, and it felt as if we already had been for a long time. We laughed and chatted until the coffee shop kicked us out at closing time. We knew then we definitely had to hire Rachel.

The week leading up to our hike was nothing but rain. We kept an eye on the weather, and crossed our fingers that our scheduled day would clear up. Sure enough, the rain held off and we headed up to Lynn Headwaters to hike the Norvan Falls trail.

This was the first stop on our hike. Originally Rachel had suggested we hike straight to the falls (7km) and then take our time taking pictures on the way back. However, these plans totally changed as the lighting on the way there was way too magical to pass up.

Norvan falls sits in a bit of a valley between the north shore mountains. The trail itself has little elevation gain. The forest was so so lush and green. The abundance of moss really added to the ethereal vibes of it all!

The fog on this trail is next level mystical. Mixed with the silence on the trail this day, we couldn't help but feel transported to different world.

Rachel made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. We were a bit nervous before hand, as we are not natural at posing in front of a camera. But, she literally told us what to do in every position! It made it that much easier, and I really feel you can see that in the photos.

Luca and I purchased this Thermarest hammock earlier this year. We often take it into the woods with us and curl up in a blanket. We love to relax completely surrounded by trees and let nature soak into us.

"If you guys were to start a band, this would totally be your album cover"

This light!!

We may look like we are effortlessly sitting on this log, but what is not shown is the struggle it actually was!! The log was incredibly slippery, and the green blanket kept trying to fly away!! Speaking of the blanket, isn't it gorgeous? This was an engagement gift to us, and we LOVE it! Its made by this super rad little local surf company from Victoria called Anian, check them out.

When in doubt, wear a flannel --> my moto...

Rachel kept making jokes about how she could keep us forever. We thought it was funny.. haha

Ugh I love him so much!

I have always been a huge fan of double exposures. I was STOKED when we got our engagement photos back and Rachel had done a couple. I love how they turned out!

We were absolutely floored when we got all our pictures back (very quickly I must add, like a couple days quick). Rachel sent us SO many (these are just a few favourites). If these are any indication of what our wedding photos will be like, I am so excited!! If you are looking for a photographer in the Vancouver area, I could not recommend Rachel more. She is so fun, encouraging, adventurous and kind! We feel so connected to her already. She just gets us.